Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greer Spring Second-largest spring in Missouri | Spring | 36.78676, -91.34780 | About 222 million gallons a day from two outlets in a deep hollow. It roughly doubles the Eleven Point River a mile below. |
| 2 | Greer Spring cave outlet Lower of the spring's two openings | Point of interest | 36.78660, -91.34879 | Part of the flow comes out of this cave mouth; the rest boils up in the channel just above it. |
| 3 | USGS gauge - Greer Spring at Greer USGS 07071000 | USGS gauge | 36.78661, -91.34753 | One of the longest spring records in the Ozarks. For float levels read the Eleven Point gauge downstream at Bardley. |
| 4 | Greer Spring Trailhead USFS - MO 19, foot access only | Access / boat ramp | 36.77976, -91.34575 | A mile of trail drops roughly 200 feet to the spring. There is no vehicle or boat access to the spring itself - this is the only way in. |
| 5 | Richard's Canoe Rental Canoe and kayak livery on MO 19 | Outfitter / canoe rental | 36.77167, -91.34919 | Tagged as a park in OSM; it is a livery serving the upper Eleven Point out of Greer Crossing. |
| 6 | Eleven Point Blue Ribbon Trout Area - upper limit Greer Spring Branch junction | Regulation section limit | 36.79839, -91.33875 | MDC's Blue Ribbon reach starts where the spring branch meets the Eleven Point and runs 5.5 miles to Turner Mill Access. Rules on the MDC site; marker placed on the OSM branch mouth. |
| 7 | Bellah Falls Named rapid below the spring branch | Dam / hazard | 36.79729, -91.33608 | The first drop the cold water runs through. Scout it at low flow; it is the one feature on this reach worth a look from the bank. |
| 8 | Greer Access USFS - Greer Crossing, MO 19 bridge | Access / boat ramp | 36.79310, -91.33152 | The main launch for the upper Eleven Point, three quarters of a mile below the spring branch mouth. |
| 9 | Greer Crossing picnic area USFS - Greer Crossing Recreation Area | Park / conservation area | 36.79373, -91.33192 | Day-use tables beside the launch, with a water tap tagged a few metres away. |
| 10 | Greer Crossing Campground USFS - Mark Twain National Forest | Campsite | 36.79413, -91.32930 | OSM calls it Greer Springs Campground; the Forest Service name is Greer Crossing Recreation Area. Sites above the launch. |
Gauge: USGS 07071000 — Greer Spring at Greer, MO. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Longear Sunfish, Ozark Bass, Rainbow Trout, Shadow Bass, Smallmouth Bass
Regulations: mdc.mo.gov/fishing/regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Greer Spring Trail - the national forest trail down to the spring itself, steep and worth the walk.
Greer Crossing Recreation Area - the main Eleven Point access and campground on Highway 19.
Turner Mill - a float access downstream with an old mill wheel still standing.
Riverton - the Highway 160 crossing and a common float takeout.
Alton - the nearest town of any size, with fuel, food and lodging.
Mark Twain National Forest - the public land that covers most of this corridor.
Eleven Point National Scenic River - the designation that keeps the river corridor protected and open.
Spring: high, cold water and the strongest flows of the year, with good trout fishing once it drops.
Summer: the reason this river matters, staying cold below the spring when everything else warms up.
Fall: low, clear water, heavy leaf color and the best smallmouth fishing of the year.
Winter: cold but stable, with the spring flow keeping the river ice free and fishable.